Pat Maroon's career is a reminder to bypass naysayers straight to your dream

The Oakville native proved people wrong, retiring with three Stanley Cups wins.

If you believe in the outright decency of society, you’ve added too much sugar to your beverage. In reality, most people are cynical and derail dreams instead of promoting and emboldening them. They don’t believe in dreams and stay clear of miracle talk, because it requires an extra leap in their brain and the belief in the idea of conquering adversity. It’s easier for them to stay on the first floor rather than try to reach the second, third, and fourth floors.

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Pat Maroon didn’t stop when hockey coaches in his youth told him that there was little chance of him reaching the NHL. He didn’t have a wicked slap shot or good speed on the ice, so it was easy for coaches and scouts to theoretically move him to the larger-than-life group of almost-there talents. I don’t imagine every person doubted him, but enough put it out there that it lived in his head for hours and days at a time.

They wouldn’t believe that years later, he would be dishing passes to Connor McDavid on the Edmonton Oilers. They would spit out their coffee at the mere thought of Maroon finishing a rush to the net with a series-winning goal against the Dallas Stars en route to a Stanley Cup victory with his hometown team, the St. Louis Blues. The naysayers would fall out of their chair when after he left St. Louis, Maroon would play on two more Stanley Cup teams in Tampa Bay.

While the exact number isn’t known, Maroon is one of a handful of NHL players who have played on a Stanley Cup-winning team three seasons in a row. Maroon became the fourth player to win three Cups in a row with two different teams, and the first since 1964. If that’s not a stamp of “you were wrong and I was right,” I don’t know what is.

It’s not like Maroon was stacking up McDavid or Alex Ovechkin-type numbers during those pursuits, but he left a dent in different ways. He was a do-whatever-it-takes player, contributing to multiple lines and making others around him better. Maroon’s soft hands made him a quality addition to those Cup-chasing teams, which paired well with his true grit hockey persona. Ask McDavid how those pucks found him for three seasons.

When given the proper ice time and role, Maroon had no problem finding the net. He put up 27 goals in the 2016-17 season, and 14 goals with the Oilers during the following season. He scored ten goals with St. Louis in 2018-19, and added 11 goals with Tampa Bay in 2021-22 while compiling a +20 rating on the ice. When he was out there, good things happened.

One of my fondest memories of his time in St. Louis was during a regular season game where he got into a fight, something he’d do often in order to spark his team. After a scrum near the net following a whistle, Maroon and another player got into it and a fight was brewed. Ten seconds or so into the scuffle, he furiously ripped off the other player’s helmet and started pummeling him against the boards. It was a one-sided affair that flipped the game on its head.

That was the Maroon effect. Sometimes, he’d take on an opponent who was going to get the better of him, but he didn’t mind. The guy could take a beating on the ice, because the one he took growing up as a youth hockey player had toughened his skin. The 161st overall draft pick in the sixth round didn’t just understand adversity; he used it as fuel to become an NHL staple.

For 14 seasons, he played the game he loved dearly and left with some history in his back-pocket. He was able to dip toasted ravioli from Charlie Gitto’s into the Stanley Cup while surrounded by his friends and family, including his brother, Phil, and his mom, Patti. The Maroons are good people, ones I wish I knew better but a family that I respect immensely. People like Pat don’t keep going if their family isn’t behind them, 1000% of the time.

Maroon laced up his skates for the final time this week. While Blues fans won’t love that he did it for the Chicago Blackhawks, finishing a wondrous career in the threads of the team you saw as the enemy growing up has a sinister yet rewarding feel to it. At the end of the day, the Blackhawks are only hated because they stood in front of St. Louis for so many years. It’s a respectable competition instead of a hate-fueled battle.

While the Blackhawks still have two games to finish the season, Maroon is done. He did it his way instead of letting the game tell him when to quit. Instead of continuing to play and possibly take more damage, he’s leaving the game on his terms at 36 years of age. The majority of hockey fans may not miss him immediately, but the real fans who love and understand the hardships of the game will appreciate his impact on the game.

He’s a fierce reminder to never stop chasing your dreams until you are the one saying it’s time to stop. Don’t let someone else who barely knows you or has only seen you play for a few weeks decide where your endgame lies. That belongs to one person alone. Without a strong support system and the heart of a lion, Maroon could have just given up back in 15-20 years ago when his career had a chance to take off.

I understand why he’s leaving now. It’s another fond memory of his NHL career, but this one came as an Oiler. When Edmonton played against St. Louis, before Maroon came to the Blues as a player, he scored a goal and was emotional during the postgame interview. He noted that the euphoria of scoring in front of his hometown made him miss his son, who only got to see dad every so often due to the no mercy relentless nature of the NHL schedule. That’s a dad who simply misses his kid.

Now, he retires with his name on the Stanley Cup in three spots and with some great memories, including the time where he informed the Boston Bruins bench that they were fucked.

We love you, Pat. Thanks for inspiring the dreams of countless young St. Louis area hockey players. You never gave up, and neither will they.